Does "no lock-in" actually matter when picking a docs tool?
Trying to learn something, not selling anything: how much does "can I take my docs with me if I ever leave" matter to you?
I keep landing on the same answer: markdown on disk, no proprietary format, no lock-in. Not because self-hosting is the point. Being stuck is the thing I want to avoid.
Does this factor into how you pick a docs tool, or is it a non-issue as long as the tool works? Is "no lock-in" something worth paying attention to, or a solved problem already?
And one more: if a wiki tool guaranteed that — plain markdown, exportable anytime — as a small hosted product, a few dollars a month, nothing to run yourself, would that be worth it? Or is that not what you're missing.
I'm building something along these lines. Happy to share more if it's relevant.
I like that you're treating portability as a trust decision rather than just another feature.
People rarely think about leaving a docs tool on day one, but knowing they can changes how comfortable they feel adopting it in the first place. Sometimes the value of "no lock-in" isn't that people leave—it's that they're more willing to commit because they know they can.
Thanks, yes. But still hard to identify if this is enough. I mean of course my software can a little bit more, but is still for documentation and doesn't offer features like realtime collab, ...
That's exactly the question that stood out to me.
I do have a perspective on it, but I don't think "is it enough?" can be answered independently of the kind of customer you're trying to win. I'd rather explain the reasoning in the context of your product than reduce it to a generic opinion.
If you're open to it, what's the best email to reach you on?
Sorry, for the late replay you could reach me at ...
Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.